Fairy Blade
by NightmareSyndrom
Summary: The fairies of Gensokyo are behaving oddly. It's up to the gardener of Hakugyokurou to find out why and put a stop to it.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome! This is my first attempt at writing a touhou fic. I'm relatively new to the fandom so I'm probably going to screw something up somewhere. It's the middle of summer, I'm hot, I'm cranky, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.**

**Let's do this!**

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><p>It was a beautiful day in Gensokyo. The sun was shining, the birds where chirping and it's been over five weeks since the last time a human got mauled by a youkai! Naturally this meant that spirits were high in the Human Village. The streets were bustling with traffic as people moved from shop to shop. Most people would have trouble maneuvering in the busy roads. Well except for one girl who was given a wide berth. The reasons for this were twofold; one, she was carrying swords and two, was that her ghost half, Myon as she had come to call her, was circling around her.<p>

Youmu Konpaku let out a sigh as she checked her shopping list. The gardener of Hakugyokurou wondered just when exactly her master had picked up a preference to the cuisine of the living, because ever since then she was repeatedly sent to the world of the living to get ingredients. To add to her annoyance she had to get a job every time since the afterlife didn't have much in the way of currency. This time was simply to protect the village while Keine was away, a simple task for someone of her skills with a blade.

"A-AT-ATTACK!" a man shouted over the roar of the crowd. "THE VILLAGE IS UNDER ATTACK!" The statement was punctuated by the sound of danmaku explosions coming from the edge of the village.

"And this was supposed to be my last day on the job, too." Youmu muttered as she leapt on to one of the nearby buildings and began running across the rooftops.

It didn't take too long for her to reach her destination. When she arrived, she so saw ten fairies attacking the villagers as they tried to escape. One of the villagers tried to impale a fairy with a pitchfork, only for his weapon to be blasted to bits by another fairy. Youmu supposed this was why the humans of the village needed a protector. They wouldn't hesitate to defend themselves but they were rather easy to overwhelm.

Youmu leapt into action, her blade deflecting a shot that was about to hit the now weaponless man, who thanked her and ran deeper into the safety of the village. The fairies all focused their attention on the dual wielding swordswoman. They all fired danmaku at where she was. Emphasis on _was_. Before they could blink Youmu was upon them. One was now missing her legs, another lost her head and a third decided her left side and her right side need some time apart. One decided to try and attack from above only to be body slammed by Youmu's ghost half. Youmu managed to finish the rest off with a single swing of Roukanken.

All the fairies respawned and renewed their attack, but were all cut down as easily as the first time. As they resurrected themselves again, Youmu had to dodge out of the way of a sudden danmaku volley from behind. Turning she saw ten more fairies between her and the village. Youmu realized that she was completely surrounded as all twenty fairies opened fire on her. Youmu had managed to evade the shots but grunted in pain as Myon wasn't so lucky and got hit once or twice.

"_Six Realm Sword 'Ageless Obsession-Easy-'" _

At once all twenty of the fairies were cleaved in two. Youmu was slightly disturbed. Fairies shouldn't have been able to force her into using a Spell Card, even if it was a toned down Spell Card. She killed them what? Three, four times now? Why were they still attacking? From her experience fairies would normally retreat after their first death and rarely stay for a second death. Another problem was that they were actually using strategy. They were able to successfully flank her. They shouldn't be that smart.

The fairies revived once more. This time the first batch finally got the hint and fled. Youmu quickly dispatch the remaining ten before they could get their bearings, although Myon decided to keep a wide distance between her and tiny winged creatures. It didn't take long for the stragglers to follow the first group.

Youmu let out a sigh as she thought of only one reason as to why the fairies would be acing so differently. She made her way to a giant sign near the center of the village labeled 'DAYS SINCE THE LAST INCIDENT'. Youmu erased the number that was written and replaced it with a zero. Perhaps she should find Reimu? She was the main Incident solver wasn't she? It would probably be best to tell her about this.

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><p>The Hakurei Shrine was quite far from the human village, being in the eastern mountains at the edge of Gensokyo. Normally traveling by foot could take days to reach there from the human village, due to not only the distance but because of all the youkai located between the two points. Youmu had decided to cheat and had used one of her Spell Cards, the <em>Hell Realm Sword '200 Hundred Yojana in 1 Slash'.<em> Most people would feel bad for using a Spell Card for such a mundane task, but Youmu was used to using them to aid in her chores and many odd jobs.

The shrine itself was much more rundown than Youmu was expecting. Was this dilapidated old building really home to Gensoyo's greatest Incident solver? The wood of the building was worn, the shed was covered in holes and the gate looked like it could collapse at any moment. Was the shrine this worn down the last time she was here? The half-ghost swordswoman didn't know if she should be concerned for Reimu's well being or respect the miko for being so humble as to refuse rewards for all the things she's done.

As she approached the shrine proper, someone stepped out of the building, that someone being a little girl with long orange hair, two large horns coming out the sides of her head, wrapped in chains and drinking out of a gourd. Suika? Why would Suika be at the shrine? Did something happen to Reimu? Youmu grabbed the hilts of her swords as the oni noticed she was there.

"Eh, who-zat?" Suika slurred before taking another swig from her gourd. "We ain't *hic* we-we ain't taken no visitors right now."

"I need to speak to Reimu. I believe there is an In-" Youmu tried to explain.

"Re-Reimu ain't in *hic* ain't in no c-con-condit-*hic* no state ta see anybody." The drunken oni snapped, cutting Youmu off.

"What happened to Reimu?" Youmu asked. Did Suika do something to her? Did they battle? That would certainly explain the state the shrine was in. If that was the case…Youmu gulped at the implication as the grip on her blades tightened.

"*hic* Th-that ain't any of ya business. Now *hic* get and stay get or-or I'll give ya a double helpin' of get!" The oni shouted at her.

"Looks like you won't listen to my words." Youmu stated "Then perhaps you'll listen to my blades!" Youmu declared as she drew her swords.

Youmu lunged forward and swung, only for the oni to block the attack with her chains. The oni shoved the swords away and went for a punch. Youmu managed to avoid the punch itself but was unable to avoid the chains that were attached to the oni's wrist. The metal links connected with Youmu head, dazing her. The oni went for a follow up only to be blasted form behind by a danmaku fired from Myon.

Growling, the oni turned to face Myon, which gave Youmu time to recover. The swordswoman swung at the oni's exposed back, leaving a gash from the shoulder to the hip. The oni spun and launched another punch. Youmu ducked under the attack and lept away as Myon rammed into the back of the oni's head. This hit and run strategy seemed like the best idea as the cut left by her previous attack was more shallow then Youmu would have liked and the fact that the swordswoman was still reeling a bit from oni's initial attack. In terms of pure physical strength she was clearly out matched.

"Enough of this crap!" The suddenly sober Suika shouted. "_Drunk Sign 'Art of Oni Binding'_"

Suika's chains started glowing blue. She swung her arms and the chains launched out, much longer than they were before. The glowing chains snaked their way around Youmu. The swordswoman struggled to free herself but the magic enhanced chains where too strong.

"Get over here!" Suika yelled as she pulled on the chains, dragging Youmu closer to her. "_Secret of Kings '3-Step Destruction'_"

Youmu was knocked back by a punch from Suika. Youmu was then knocked back by a devastating punch from a larger Suika. Youmu was then knocked back by an earth-shattering punch from a much larger Suika. The last hit had launched Youmu down the side of the mountain. Her landing created a small crater at the base of the steps leading up the mountain to the shrine.

"That girl is even stronger than I remember." Youmu muttered as she managed to stand up. "I can't take another hit." She said as she began making her way up the stairs. "If that's the case…"

"_Human Sign 'Slash of Present'"_

Youmu lunged forward and stuck Suika, who had turned to reenter the shrine, as she passed in the same spot as before only with much more strength and speed. While not as fast as 200 Hundred Yojana in One Slash it took much less energy. And she would need all of her energy to end this quickly.

"_Life Ending Sword 'Meditation'"_

Turning to face the oni, Roukanken began to glow and seemingly triple in length. Youmu swung then elongated sword in an upward slash. The attack not only hit the oni, but also launched her into the air.

"_Soul Cutting 'Ascension to Nirvana'"_

Crossing both swords in front of her, the half-ghost swordswoman sent a pillar of destructive force at the helpless air born oni. The attack sent Suika even higher into the air. The oni girl crashed through the shrine gate from above, leaving a crater at the top of the steps leading down the mountain.

"Using so many Spell Cards so quickly was more taxing than I thought." Youmu panted as she fell to her knees in exhaustion.

"Oi, Attacking when an enemy's back is turned. Never expected that from a samurai." Suika teased as she got up. Her condition was just as bad as Youmu's, more or less, but she was grinning all the same.

"What on *cough* Earth is going on out here!" a voice yelled from the shrine.

Youmu turned to see who spoke. There in the doorway of the shrine stood a woman. She was wrapped in a white sheet, her black hair was a mess, all string and frazzled and her skin was unhealthy pale. Youmu couldn't stop the shriek of terror that passed trough her lips.

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><p>"I'm sorry." Youmu apologized.<p>

They were now inside the shrine proper. Reimu was lying on the floor and using Myon as a pillow, Suika was leaning against on the wall next to the door and drinking out of her gourd and Youmu was sitting at the table with her head bowed.

"No harm done." Suika replied "Except for killin' my buzz that is."

"I'm sorry. I saw you here and assumed you done something to Reimu." Youmu admitted as she bowed her head down further, almost connecting with the table.

"If by somethin' you mean taking care of, then yeah I was." Suika remarked after taking another swig.

"Why did *cough* you come here anyway?" Reimu asked out.

"I believe another Incident may have started up." Youmu explained as she raised herself up to a normal sitting position. "A group of fairies attacked the Human Village earlier today."

"That don't sound Incident worthy to me." Suika commented.

"By itself no. But these fairies were far more tenacious and organized then usual." Youmu elaborated.

"That *cough* does sound *cough* strange." Reimu coughed out.

"Reimu, perhaps you should see a doctor." Youmu suggested. Honestly if she had gotten this bad she should have seen one much sooner.

"Can't." The ill miko wheezed out. "Doctors cost money, of which I have none."

"Surely you must have something? You're Gensokyo's greatest Incident solver!" Youmu replied. The hero of Gensokyo couldn't really be this poor could she?

"You would *cough* think that, but I *cough* haven't gotten a single donation in years." Reimu explained before breaking out into a fit of coughs.

Youmu let out a sigh. Should she give p her earnings? Lady Yuyuko didn't like it when she was gone for to long and she couldn't just return empty handed either. She cast another look at the once proud shrine maiden now reduced to a quivering mess wrapped in an old sheet and made up her mind.

"Here." Youmu said as she placed the money she earned on the table. "This should be enough for a doctor, if not then at least get yourself a decent blanket."

"You *cough* you mean it?" Reimu asked in awe. Something in Youmu fluttered at seeing the miko's starry-eyed gaze.

"Yes." Youmiu answered "And while you see a doctor, I'll handle the Incident."

"Sounds like a plan ta me." Suika said with a smirk. "Might I suggest checkin' out that Scarlet Devil Manor place? The got a whole bunch a fairies workin' there. One of um might know somethin'."

"Thank you." Youmu replied with a nod as she stood up. "Um, Reimu, I'm going to need Myon back."

"But she's s-*cough*-so comfy." The ill miko whined. Youmu let out a sigh.

"I'll come back once the Incident is over." Youmu suggested. "Is that alright?" Seeing Reimu's nod, she walked over to the sick maiden, held her up so Myon could fly out from under Reimu, and gently lowered the miko to the floor.

"Be careful." Reimu whispered before falling asleep.

"I will." Youmu responded in whisper as she exited the shrine. Her next destination set, the home of the Scarlet Devil.

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><p><strong>And I think I'll call that a chapter. I apologize for any mistakes as stated previously I'm kind of new to Touhou.<strong>

**My biggest grievance with this chapter? I had to rewrite part of the second scene because I didn't know Youmu and Suika met before. I only found that out when I was looking up Spell Cards for them.**

**There something else I want to say but I can't think of what it is. So I'll just say goodbye!**

**Goodbye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to the next chapter of Fairy Blade! I thank you for all the positive feedback I've gotten (A whole FIVE reviews!).**

**I don't have much else to say except…**

**Let's do this!**

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><p>All was calm at the Misty Lake as cool winds caused the perpetual light mist to dance. The lake itself was one of if not the biggest body of water in all Gensokyo and was located right on the edge of the Forest of Magic. In the middle of the lake was an island. On this island stood the Scarlet Devil Mansion, home to the only known vampire in Gensokyo and Youmu's next destination.<p>

Youmu stared at the island with a bit of dread. She wasn't so foolish as to think she would receive a warm welcome, especially after her last time there. Well unless getting set on fire by the purple clad witch counted as a warm welcome. The swordswoman shook her head at the bad joke and began to look for a way to cross. As she recalled the only way to reach the island without taking a dip in the cold water was jumping on rocks or anything else that was on the surface. The half ghost supposed one could simply fly there if they had the ability to do so.

"Watch out!" a voice called out from behind Youmu.

Something suddenly collided with Youmu's back sending her hurtling forward. Luckily for the swordswoman her ghost half was able to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Who dares stand in the way of the strongest!" the voice called out again.

Youmu got up and turned to face the speaker. She saw a young fairy girl, with blue hair wearing a blue dress and had wings made of ice.

"What are you doing here?" Youmu asked.

"You come to my home and then ask why I'm here. That's pretty rude, don't ya think?" Cirno answered as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I wasn't aware anyone lived here." Youmu said. "I was simply looking for a way to cross the lake."

"Well no one is allowed to cross the lake without my permission. Looks like I'm going to have to punish you!" Cirno exclaimed as she rose into the air.

Youmu let out a sigh. This was going to be a pointless fight. A fairy, even one as powerful as Cirno, would never be able to beat her on their own. On the other hand maybe the ice fairy could help her cross the lake afterward.

"Come on, Cirno! Where are yo-eeek!" another voice cut in before turning into a shriek of terror.

On the edge of forest with her back to a tree and trembling in fear was a girl with pink hair and light pink bird wings wearing a pinkish brown dress with a matching hat, with both decorated with numerous bird-like charms.

"Mystia! What's wrong?" Cirno asked as she flew down to the girl.

"S-Sh-She was he-helping that girl who a-a-ate me!" Mystia squeaked out.

"She did what!" Cirno shouted before turning to face Youmu. The ice fairy's eyes were aglow with a frozen fury. "How dare you hurt one of my friends! Prepare to face the wrath of the strongest!"

"_Ice Cube: Great Crusher!"_

A gigantic block of ice several times the ice fairy's size formed above her head. Cirno threw the massive chunk of ice at Youmu. The swordswoman dove to the side, the iceberg just barely missing her. The half ghost got back up and went to draw her blades only to pause as she heard a loud splash. Turning to the lake, she saw a massive wave coming out of the water. The wave came crashing down and Youmu was swept away and slammed into a tree.

"I'll admit I wasn't expecting that." Youmu said with a wince as she stood up. Looking up she saw Cirno and Mystia, who had managed to fly above the wave.

"_Ice Sign: Icicle Machine Gun!"_

Icicles shoot forth from Cirno's hands in rapid succession. Youmu ran behind a tree for cover only to dive to the ground as an icicle pierced the tree and almost impaled her head. The half ghost took several breaths to try and slow her rapidly beating heart.

"Stay still!" Cirno shouted as she dove toward Youmu. Two blades made of ice formed in her hands.

"You think I would lose in a clash of blades?" Youmu snapped as she drew her swords as she easily blocked Cirno's clumsy, yet rage powered attack.

"_Soul Cutting: Ascension to Nirvana!"_

The energy blast slammed into the ice fairy and sent her flying, flipping head over heels. Unfortunately, Cirno was able orient herself and stop falling just before she hit the ground.

"_Cold Body: Supe-"_

"_Human Sign: Slash of Present!"_

Whatever the ice fairy was going to do, Youmu didn't want to wait and find out. Beating Cirno on the draw, the swordswoman dashed forward and cleaved the fairy in two. Youmu then turned her attention to the cowering Mystia, as Cirno's two halves fell to the ground.

"My apologi-" Youmu began to say…

"_Boot Sign: Wriggle Kick!" _

…only to be cut off when something collided with the back of her head.

Unfortunately for Youmu, Myon did not catch her fall this time. This caused the swordswomen to get a mouthful of dirt with a rock coming dangerously close to impaling her eye. Pushing her self off the ground, she turned her body to she her new attacker. It was boy with green hair and bug-like antenna sticking out of his head. He wore a stylized white shirt, blue baggy pants that only came down to his knees and long cape.

"I don't know who you are, or what's going on here but I won't let anyone hurt Misty!" the insect boy shouted as Youmu got back up on her feet.

"_Wriggle Sign: Nightbug Tornado!"_

A buzzing noise filled the air. Winged insects of all kinds seemed to appear out of nowhere. The mass of bugs began circling Youmu, and soon that was all the swordswoman could see. Her vision was unable to see past the insect curtain. The only gap was directly above her, out of reach and growing smaller at an alarming rate as the insects began to close in on her.

"_Six Realms Sword: Ageless Obsession-Lunatic-!"_

The half ghost gardener swung her swords and for a moment nothing happened. Suddenly, all the insects that were swarming her, and the just revived Cirno, fell to the ground in little tiny pieces. Youmu could finally see past the rain of bug bits and saw a look of shock and horror on the boy's face. Her gaze turned to the night sparrow as the last of the insect and fairy parts fell to the ground. She walked over to the cowering girl as she sheathed her blades.

"N-No! S-st-stay ba-!" Mystia sputtered out.

"I'm sorry." Youmu said as she reached the night sparrow. "I'm sorry." The swordswoman knelt down and wrapped the terrified girl in what she hoped was a comforting embrace. "I…I had know idea Lady Yuyuko was going to do that at the time. I'm sorry. What she did to you is something I wouldn't wish on anybody."

All was quiet as Youmu comforted the crying girl.

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><p>After explaining what was going on, Cirno was happy to help "one almost as strong as her". The frost fairy froze a fraction of the lake, making a bridge of ice to the island of the Scarlet Devil. Youmu was actually impressed. The bridge was thick, sturdy, and took only a second to make. The swordswoman had clearly underestimated Cirno. Perhaps it was best that their battle was cut short.<p>

"Good luck solving the incident." Mystia said. The girl was still a bit uncomfortable around Youmu, but the gardener of Hakugyokurou couldn't help but notice the night sparrow got a glint in her eye since the mention of Reimu's condition.

"She won't need luck!" Cirno exclaimed. "She's almost as strong as me! Not quite, but almost. So, she shouldn't have any problems."

"Clearly." Wriggle muttered with a shake of his head. "I kinda doubt that you'll find anything there, but I guess you don't have much of choice."

"I don't have any other leads" Youmu agreed with a nod. "You know Mystia, you're rather lucky to have a friend like Wriggle."

"I am?" Mystia asked with audible confusion in her voice.

"From what I've heard, good men are hard to come by in Gensokyo." Youmu explained.

Youmu chuckled as Mystia blushed, Wriggle began sputtering and Cirno just looked confused. With a wave of farewell to the trio, she began to skate towards her next destination. The half-ghost liked to think that she was rather good at ice-skating. She had certainly got enough practice during what the people of Gensokyo referred to as the "Snowfall in Spring" Incident, a rather odd name for it, since technically it wasn't spring when it happened.

She arrived at the island in short order. The Scarlet Devil Mansion took up most of the actual island. A large wall around the building was only a few yards away from the isle's shore. As Youmu began to look for the main gate, she realized how hard it was to see. The lake's perpetual mist was making it difficult for her to look more than a few feet in any direction. Was it this bad the last time she was here?

"Halt." A voice cut through the mist. Youmu stopped on a reflex, her hands went straight to the handles of her swords. "What's your business here?"

Youmu walked in the direction she thought the voice was coming. The swordswoman came to the startling realization that if she hadn't changed course she would have passed the gate without knowing. Standing in front of the gate was a woman. The woman had long scarlet hair with 2 braids. She was wearing an olive green and white dress with a black ribbon. On her head was a green hat with a golden star in the middle.

"Who are you?" Youmu asked.

"Isn't rude to come into someone's home and then demand who they are?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, but I don't think I met you the last time I was here." Youmu said as Myon flew over to the woman. "My name is Youmu Konpaku."

"Hong Meiling. Please, call me Meiling." The redheaded woman introduced herself. "So what brings you all the way out here?"

"I'm actually here about an Incident." Youmu explained. "I was told to start my investigations here."

"Honestly, you start one Incident and then you're marked for life." Meiling said with a melodramatic sigh and Youmu flinched at the comment. "Come on, I'll take you to see Remi."

Meiling entered the main gate, and Youmu quickly followed. As soon as she was through the half ghost noticed that her visibility vastly improved. There wasn't any mist on this side of the gate but that observation was in the back of her mind.

"What a beautiful garden." Youmu said in awe. Being a gardener, she was someone who could truly appreciate the scene before her. All from the outer wall and _onto_ the mansion itself was a wide variety of flowers, which Youmu noticed were all a shade of red. How did she not notice this the last time she was here?

"Thank you." Meiling chuckled. "I've tended to these plants for years. Sure it's not as fancy the Garden of the Sun, but I enjoy it all the same."

"What kind of flower is that?" Youmu asked as they approached the mansion. Her question was about one of the flowers growing on the mansion.

"Scarlet Clematis." Meiling answered. "There aren't native to these parts. They also need a lot of sunlight, so it'd be impossible for them to grow here without Patchu's spell keeping the mist out."

"So how's Youki doing?" Meiling asked suddenly as they entered the mansion itself.

"Um, what?" Youmu replied completely caught off guard.

"You said your name was Konpaku, right?" Meiling pointed out, her sentence more of a statement then a question.

"Well, yes, but how do you know him?" Youmu asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"We went way back." Meiling answered with an almost wistful tone. "But we got…out of touch a few years ago." Her tone suddenly became tense.

"Um, I see." Youmu lied. She didn't understand the sudden changes in mood at all.

"Come on don't keep me in the dark. How's he doing?" Meiling asked as they turned down another corridor.

"Um, I don't know." Youmu answered solemnly. Seeing her guide turn to her with a questioning look, she decided to explain. "He disappeared a while ago. I haven't seen him in years."

"I see." Meiling replied as she put a comforting hand on Myon. Which due to her nature, Youmu felt as if the hand was on her shoulder.

Youmu sighed in content as they rounded another corner. Was it her imagination or did they just make their fourth right turn in a row? Sure she wasn't really paying attention to where they were going but, her guide wouldn't do something like that, right? Right?

"At least he was able to teach you some of his tricks." Meiling quipped, which pulled Youmu out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" was Youmu's elegant response.

"It may have been in Spell Card format, but I'd recognize Ageless Obsession anywhere." Meiling told her.

"He did teach me some things, but he disappeared before I finished my training." Youmu said as Myon flew over to her.

"Heh, so Ageless Obsession was as far as he got huh?" Meiling pondered aloud. "At least you learned some of his intermediate level techniques."

"Intermediate?" Youmu asked. Ageless Obsession was her one of, if not her most powerful attack. For it to be only an intermediate level, she was nowhere near as closer to her master's level as she thought she was. Just how good was he?

"He was very good at what he did." Meiling answered, making Youmu realize that she said the last bit out loud. "Oni would tell stories about him. They told their kids that if any of them misbehaved he would hunt them down and slice off their horns." Meiling suddenly put her hand to her chin in thought. "Come to think of it, didn't he say he wanted to try to make a sword out of all those Oni horns? I wonder if he ever got around to that." And that explained why she found a pile of horns when she was cleaning his closet.

"Looks like we're here." Meiling said as they approached a massive set of double doors at the end of the hall. "You ready?"

"Yes." Youmu said with a determined nod.

The giant door led to a dining room of sorts. A table in the middle of the room stretched almost all the way across its length. At the far end of the table, sipping a cup of tea, sat a young girl. She had red eyes, short light-blue hair, and a pair of black bat-like wings on back. She was wearing a pink mob cap and dress, with bright red trimming.

This girl was the Scarlet Devil herself, Remilia Scarlet.

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><p><strong>I think I'll stop it there. I wanted to add another scene but it was getting a bit longer then I'm comfortable writing at this time.<strong>

**I know Wriggle is a girl and Remilia is not the only vampire in Gensokyo. Youmu on the other hand, does not.**

**There is more I want to say but I can't think of what it is.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome to Chapter 3 of Fairy Blade.**

**I can't thing of anything else to say.**

**Onward to Fiction!**

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><p>Youmu gulped as the door was shut by the fairy maids with an ominous bang. She had secretly been dreading this conversation. The half-ghost wasn't even going to pretend that she was on good terms with the Scarlet Devil.<p>

"Oh, well if it isn't the ghost queen's pet." Remilia commented after taking a sip of tea. Youmu bristled at the insult. "I wonder exactly why you're here. Does her _highness_ have some sort of business with me?"

"I'm her-" Youmu began…

"Or did you come here to once again assault my home?" Remilia snapped, cutting Youmu off.

"Actually, Remi" Meiling spoke up. "She's here to investigate an incident."

"Oh?" Remilia said as she placed her teacup on the table. "I do believe that was the excuse that was offered last time. Why should I believe that this little mutt won't unjustly attack those in my care, again?"

"Reimu sent me." Youmu told her. The swordswoman had heard rumors that the mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was on good terms with the Shrine Maiden of Paradise. Perhaps knowing that little tidbit would make the vampire less hostile.

"Reimu sent you?" Remilia asked. Youmu let out a breath she wasn't even aware she was holding as Reimlia seemed to perk up at the mention of Reimu.

What happened next was a blur. One moment Youmu was standing next to Meiling, the next, she was on the floor and there was a loud crash. She looked towards the door, and noticed the teacup Remilia was using in pieces on the floor and tea was dripping down the doors.

"LIES!" Remilia screamed. "You would dare think I would fall for such an obvious lie?"

"It's true." Youmu protested as she stood up.

"Then where is your proof?" The Scarlet Devil demanded.

"Proof?" Youmu asked in surprise. "Is my word not proof enough?"

"Alright then, girl." Remilia spoke with such disdain in her that Youmu actually flinched. "Riddle me this and riddle that. Why would Reimu, the one who has resolved incident after incident by herself, send someone to solve an incident in her stead? And the vassal of another at that?"

"She's ill." Youmu told her.

"Hmph, such a flimsy excuse." Remilia explained as if she was scolding a child. "You sully Reimu's honor by claiming to act in her name."

"But what if she is?" Meiling interjected.

Remilia paused as if she had gone into deep thought. Youmu was glad for the gatekeeper's presence. The swordswoman was sure they would have already come to blows without the redhead there to run interference.

"I suppose you could be right." Remilia admitted reluctantly. "But it is getting rather late. You must be tired."

"It has been a busy day." Youmu admitted.

"Then we shall discuss things further, tomorrow." Remilia said. "Forgive me for not giving you your own room. We've been a bit shorthanded as of late."

Remilia snapped her fingers and a fairy maid entered the room. She had fiery red hair worn in twin pigtails and coal black eyes. Her clothing was a standard maid uniform. What caught Youmu's attention though was that the tips of the girl's wings were on fire.

"Isadel, please escort our guest to my sister's quarters." The vampire ordered. Youmu felt her eyebrow rise. Remilia had a sister? Why didn't she see her the last time she was here?

"Um, yes. Of course, Milady." Isadel said with a bow.

"You can't be serious, Remilia!" Meiling shouted. Youmu wondered why she looked so panicked. Wasn't she just a moment ago trying to get Remilia to be more hospitable?

"Silence." Remilia spoke. The glare she sent her gatekeeper sent chills down Youmu's spine. "I'm just trying to be a good host. What, pray tell, is so wrong with that?"

"You know exactly what's wrong with it." Meiling growled as Isadel ushered Youmu out of the room.

"You dare raise your voice against you mistress? It looks like I'll have to remind you of your place." Remilia said as she flew up into the air.

Youmu was unaware of what happened next as the door was shut by the fairy maids with an ominous bang.

* * *

><p>The halls of the Scarlet Devil Mansion where painted the color of the building's namesake, as if to remind visitors where they were. As Isadel escorted Youmu through these scarlet corridors, the half-ghost's thoughts couldn't leave the strange turnabout the conversation with the Scarlet Devil had taken. Why didn't Meiling want her to stay the night? The Swordswoman supposed it could have been that her history with the residents had been brought to light, but that didn't feel quite right.<p>

"Ah!" Isadel suddenly cried out. Looking up Youmu saw her guide being knocked out of the air by Myon.

"Sorry!" Youmu said with bow. "Myon tends to wander with my thoughts."

"It's alright." Isadel replied as she took flight once more. "I'm overdue for a punishment for incompetence anyway."

"Overdue?" Youmu couldn't stop herself from asking. How regularly is she punished that she can consider one being overdue? Then again, the servant of Yuyuko wasn't exactly one to talk about such things.

"Oh yes. Several of the maids have gone missing." Her guide explained. "The poor Head Maid has been running herself ragged trying to pick up the slack."

"I see." Youmu mumbled. If she was remembering right, except for the Sakuya, the entire maid staff was composed of Fairies. So the residence of the mansion weren't behind the incident, but victims of it. "Did anything unusual happen around the time they went missing?"

"Umm…hmm. Nope, no, certainly not." Isadel spoke matter of factly. "No… wait, yes. There was something strange."

The two walked in silence for a full minute. The only sound as they walked through the labyrinth of halls was the echo of Youmu's footsteps.

"Are you going to tell me what it was?" Youmu asked with a patience born of being Yuyuko's attendant for years.

"What the what was?" Isadel asked innocently.

"The something strange that happened when the maids went missing." Youmu said as Myon began to circle the fairy.

"Oh right." Isadel replied sheepishly. "It was an umbrella."

"An umbrella?" Youmu asked with a raised eyebrow and disbelief.

"Yes." Isadel confirmed with a nod. "Someone was walking the halls with an umbrella…or was it a parasol?"

"Someone was walking the halls with an umbrella." Youmu parroted. "And then some of the staff went missing."

"Yup. The Head Maid hasn't been able to leave to track them down. I wish there was something I could do to help her." Isadel spoke, her depression visible as her wings drooped.

"Why can't you help her?" Youmu questioned as they turned to another hallway.

"Because I'm the young mistress' personal attendant." Isadel said, beaming with pride at her job. "I also provide the warmth for the mansion during the colder months."

After making what Youmu noticed to be their third right turn in a row, the half-ghost and her guide reached an incredibly short corridor compared to all the other ones that they had past. At the far end was a rusted steel door.

"Here we are." Isadel announced as she flew over to the thing that passed as a door and grabbed the handle.

"I was under the impression that we where going to the room of Remilia's sister." Youmu told her guide bluntly.

"Yup! This is it." Isadel said with a grunt as she pulled the door open. "It's a good thing we got here so soon. Young mistress must be getting hungry."

"Oh?" Youmu asked as her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't much to eat this day. "Excuse me for asking, but what is for dinner?" She asked as she walked into the dimly lit room.

"You are, silly." Isadel told her with a smile.

Before Youmu could respond, the door was shut by the fairy maid with an ominous bang.

* * *

><p>Pitch blackness was all Youmu could see as she struggled to push open the heavy metal door. Due to the lack of light, the half-ghost wasn't even sure if she was even pushing on the door. Closing her eyes the swordswoman began focusing on her spirit half. Looking through Myon, she was able to see that Isadel was long gone and the hallway was empty.<p>

Youmu lost her concentration as she heard a sound echoing from somewhere. As her ghost-half passed through the door, the swordswoman extended a finger, a glowing danmaku orb appeared and began hovering an inch from the tip. The gardener of Hakugyokurou wasn't sure if her ability to do this was because she was experienced when it came to using her powers for mundane purposes or if it was because ghosts seemed to have a natural talent for it. Regardless, the energy sphere gave off enough light for Youmu to see.

The room was small and made entirely out of cobblestone. On the far side was a stairway leading downwards. Presumably that was where the noise came from. Youmu began to descend the stairs. Sure she could have just sliced through the door, but she was rather curious about Remilia's younger sister. That and she didn't want to give the Scarlet Devil another reason to be angry with her.

Once more the noise rang out. This time Youmu was able to make out the sound of wind chimes. Why would wind chimes be underground? The half-ghost continued downwards. The sound of wind chimes played over and over getting louder and cleared as she progressed farther down. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, the half-ghost began to hear a voice. She couldn't make out what it was saying.

Continuing onward, Youmu's path split in two. She couldn't see that far down ether passageway. Suddenly the wind chimes sounded out again. Hearing the sound come from her left, the half-ghost decide to take that path. Her choice was rewarded by the voice becoming bit louder. This process continued over and over, again and again as the swordswoman used the chimes to navigate the labyrinth.

As Youmu got deeper into the maze, she could hear the voice better. It sounded like the voice of a young girl, who Youmu assumed was the younger sister of Remilia. The voice was…singing? Yes, it was definitely singing. As Youmu reach a corridor that had a faint glow at he far end, she could finally make out the words being sung.

_Ten little Injuns standin' in a line,_

_One toddled home and then there were nine;_

_Nine little Injuns swingin' on a gate,_

_One tumbled off and then there were eight._

_One little, two little, three little, four little, five little Injun boys,_

_Six little, seven little, eight little, nine little, ten little Injun boys._

_Eight little Injuns gayest under heav'n._

_One went to sleep and then there were seven;_

_Seven little Injuns cuttin' up their tricks,_

_One broke his neck and then there were six._

_Six little Injuns all alive,_

_One kicked the bucket and then there were five;_

_Five little Injuns on a cellar door,_

_One tumbled in and then there were four._

_Four little Injuns up on a spree,_

_One got fuddled and then there were three;_

_Three little Injuns out on a canoe,_

_One tumbled overboard and then there were two._

_Two little Injuns foolin' with a gun,_

_One shot t'other and then there was one;_

_One little Injun livin' all alone,_

_He got married and then there were none._

When Youmu entered the room, she saw a young looking girl with her eyes closed sitting on old an worn western style bed. The girl had short blond hair tied into a single ponytail on her left side and wearing a red dress and vest, with a pink shirt underneath and a pink mob cap with a red ribbon attached. The most striking thing about her was the two rods coming out of her back as if they were wings. Dangling from each rod were eight glowing crystal shards of various colors.

"Is it dinnertime already?" the girl said before turning to face Youmu, and revealing her red eyes. "Huh, you're not Isadel."

"No, my name is Youmu Konpaku." Youmu introduced herself. "I assume you are Remilia's younger sister."

"Yup, that's me! Flandre Scarlet!" The girl said with a giggle, before looking at Youmu curiously. "I don't normally get visitors."

"I'm actually here because Reimu sent me to-" Youmu began to explain.

"Reimu sent you!" Flandre interrupted, her eyes alight with joy.

"Um, yes." Youmu replied. She was starting to get a really bad feeling, especially when Flandre started giggling again.

"How thoughtful it is of my beloved Reimu to prepare dinner for me." The younger Scarlet sister said with a sigh.

"What." Youmu spoke as her mind tried and failed to process that last sentence.

"Now now, no need to be so coy." Flandre said as she skipped over to Youmu, the crystals on her wings chiming with her movement. "This will be my first time drinking a human's blood." As the younger Scarlet sister reached out to grab Youmu, the swordswoman drew one of her blades and swung, forcing Flandre to step back. "Oh goodie, I get to play a little game to work up my appetite. I would expect nothing less from a meal sent by the Shrine Maiden that is my Paradise."

"I think there's been a misunderstanding." Youmu spoke as she drew her second blade, her orb of light going out as she did so. She already knew she wasn't going be able to talk her way out of this.

"Don't make it too short, okay?" Flandre asked, before flying at Youmu.

Youmu ducked under the vampire. She spun, hoping to strike Flandre's back, but the little girl swerved up and out of the way. Flandre turned around and dive bombed at Youmu once more. Th swordswoman dodged to the side. The flying loli made a u-turn and tried again, only this time she launched a volley of danmaku ahead of her. The half-ghost deflected the shots with her swords, and leapt over Flandre's charge. As she landed, she spun to face the younger Scarlet sister.

"_Sword Skill: Thousand Cherry Blossoms!"_

Youmu ran past the startled vampire, leaving the Spell Card's namesake in her wake. Flandre only had a moment to look around in confusion before all the cherry blossoms exploded. Violently.

The swordswoman turned to face her opponent, as she had a feeling that the fight wasn't over yet. Indeed, for as the dust settled a grinning Flandre was revealed. The only sign that her attack did anything was the dirt on the vampire's clothes.

"_Forbidden Barrage: Counter Clock!"_

Flandre hands began to glow with power. The younger Scarlet sister hurled the light at Youmu. As the light flew from the vampire's hands, four blades of light extend from each and both orbs of light began spinning, becoming makeshift buzz saws. Seeing as both projectiles cleanly cut through the stone that made up the room on contact, Youmu didn't risk blocking them. The swordswoman ducked under the first one and then jumped over the second one.

Since Youmu was airborne, she couldn't move out of the way as Flandre flew into her. The vampire rode the swordswoman as the latter skidded across the smooth floor. The duo stopped mere inches away from the wall. The younger Scarlet sister grinned as she prepared to sink her claws into the dazed half-ghost. She was stopped as Myon came through the wall and rammed into her face. This allowed Youmu to shove the little girl off.

Both combatants rose to their feet. Youmu eyed her opponent warily as the girl's smile only seemed to increase as Youmu fought back. The sword woman charged, wanting to end things as quickly as possible. It seemed her opponent had other ideas.

"_Forbidden Barrage: Starbow Break!"_

Countless multi-colored danmaku orbs burst from Flandre as the crystals on the girls wings began to glow violently. Youmu grit her teeth as she saw the oncoming maelstrom. Time seemed to slow down as she thought of what to do. She was too close to dodge and there were far too many shots to deflect them all. Ageless Obsession wouldn't help her much as the vampire was still firing, so the half-ghost would be bombarded before she could do anything afterward. It looks like her only hope would be _that_, even if she hadn't perfected it yet, and obviously never used it in a fight before. It looks like it was now or never.

"_Blind Cut: Roukan's Bullet Cutting Third Eye!"_

Youmu closed her eyes and swung Roukanken. A straight path was cut through the storm of bullets. Unfortunately, Flandre realized what she had planned and moved out of the way; however, she aborted her attack. As the danmaku blasts harmlessly sailed past the swordswoman, she heard her opponent laughing.

"You use your eye! You used your eye!" Flandre chanted over and over as she got a manic gleam in her eyes.

The psychotic girl flew at Youmu with a much greater speed then anything she showed previously. The swordswoman, unable to dodge brought her weapons up to block. Flandre gripped the swords by the blades. The vampire turned her tackle into a devastating kick that knock the air out the half-ghost and sent her flying. The gardener tumbled, bouncing off and along the stone floor, until she crashed into the wall. Fortunately for Youmu, her opponent let go of her swords when the kick connected, so she was still armed.

As the swordswoman brought herself to her feet she saw the vampire licking blood off her hands. Flandre stopped when she noticed Youmu's stare. The psychotic girl put on a Cheshire grin that honestly made the half-ghost want to run for her life.

"_Forbidden Barrage: Catadioptric!"_

The vampire launched three rather large blasts of danmaku that stopped midway between the two girls. Suddenly, one of the spheres launched a blast of its own. Youmu dove to the side to avoid it. Unfortunately for her, it exploded into a shower of smaller blasts when it hit the wall. The swords woman was knocked off balance and was therefore unable to dodge or defend against the blasts from the other two orbs.

Panting with exertion, Youmu forced herself to fight through the pain. She had to end this quickly. Perhaps if the numbers where in her favor?

"_Spirit: Secret of Life and Death!"_

The swordswoman sprinted towards her foe as Myon's form began to change until it became a mirror image of Youmu, complete with matching blades. To Youmu's confusion, Flandre just stood there grinning. The human and ghost halves of Youmu slashed at the vampire.

"_Taboo: Four of a Kind!" _

What was once one vampire was now four. Youmu was not pleased at the sudden reversal. The half-ghost and half-human quickly found themselves overwhelmed. The two were taking more and more hits as the seconds ticked by. It wasn't long until both were bleeding from numerous scratches all over the place.

"AAAAH!" Youmu screamed in pain as she dropped her swords. One of the Flandre's had managed to shove her arm through Myon's chest, which, due to her nature, the swordswoman felt as if the arm was shoved through her chest and piercing her heart. The distraction cost her as the remained Flandres brought her to the ground. Her vision blurred as her head slammed against the stone floor.

"Thank you for the meal." The Flandres said before each one bit into Youmu: one sunk her fangs in Youmu's neck, another bit her bicep, the third nibbled on her thigh and the fourth one took a bite out Myon.

The last thing Youmu heard before she blacked out was the sound of wind chimes.

* * *

><p><strong>What? You didn't think Youmu was going to win, did you? This isn't some fic where any random human with hardly any experience could beat Flandre. What I just said may or may not be a crack at Average Joe in Bullet Hell. Either way you should check that fic out. Lord knows it is much better than this.<strong>

**As for Flandre's obsession with Reimu. It's canon that Marisa tried to talk Flandre into wanting to marry Reimu. Don't believe me? Then go beat EoSD's EX Stage with Marisa.**

**Apologizes for the delay. Had a wee bit of trouble writing the fight. But the fact its much longer than the other chapters makes up for it, right?...Right?**


End file.
